Top lift for covered heels



Aug. 1, 1939. w WOOD JR 2,167,965

TOP LIFT FOR COVERED HEELS Filed Oct. 20, 1957 HTT R J.

Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,167,965 TOP LIFT FOR COVERED HEELS William Wood, Jr., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application October 20, 1937, Serial No. 170,063 13 Claims. (Cl. 36-35) My invention relates to top lifts for covered heels.

Top lifts made of rubber composition are in great demand, the reasons being that they are less expensive, wear longer, provide a better friction or anti-slipping surface, and are more resilient than all-leather lifts. On the other hand, rubber lifts are not as neat as leather lifts; even when a rubber lift is as carefully finished as possible, once in position on the heel, it cannot be made to look altogether like leather since it does not finish brightly, and the contrast between lift and heel is sometimes quite pronounced. Moreover, the rubber lift has this very objectionable feature that it causes the heel covering to work out from under the heel and wrinkle; when a rubber lift is used, it is also found that the corners of the heel block, which is usually of wood, become damaged and quite frequently even break off, with the result that the heel breasting becomes wrinkled and the heel covering also becomes wrinkled near the corners of the heel.

In order to prevent the wrinkling of the covering, when using a rubber lift, it has been proposed to vulcanize a smooth but thin and flexible member of fibers on the face of the rubber lift which is next to the heel, more particularly, the heel covering. Such a lift has been in actual commercial use and while it was intended to prevent the covering from wrinkling it has not proved very satisfactory, the reasons being that (1) The bond between the rubber lift proper and fiber member is weakened or destroyed shortly after the lift is wet, or after the lift has been used for a short time.

(2) Once the bond has been so weakened or destroyed, the rubber lift is free to expand, and does expand, beyond the edges of the heel block. Even if the thin fiber member does not workloose from the rubber tread or lift, the continual and alternate application of load to the tread and the release of such load, as when one is in the act of walking, causes the rubber to compress and expand in a more or less wavy motion, with the result that the covering works out from under the heel block even though the fiber member is smooth.

(3) The corners of the lift work up under stress of the load imposed upon the corners, and the corners of the heel block become damaged or break off altogether, with the consequent wrinkling of the heel breasting and of the covering near the corners.

The thin fiber member soon becomes unsightly (1'. at its edges and does not properly and neatly engage the heel block.

To my knowledge, most of the shoe manufacturers have discontinued the use of a lift having a thin fiber member, it apparently having been appreciated that such a thin fiber member did not possess any advantages, but only disadvantages. In fact, I have definitely ascertained, after considerable experimenting, that a satisfactory rubber, or composite rubber and leather, lift cannot be achieved unless there is provided a rigid member between tread and heel covering.

, It has also been proposed to so treat a'rubber lift, chemically, that its face which is to engage the heel block, more particularly the covering, is

relatively smooth, so as to reduce the friction between lift and covering and thus prevent the.

covering from working out from under the heel and wrinkling. This lift, however, is still unsatisfactory in that it will work up at the corners, thus causing the corners of the heel block to become damaged or to break off, and will still cause the covering to work out from under-the heel.

My invention is primarily concerned with a top lift, for covered heels, wherein the tread member, that is, that part which engages the pavement, is made of two complementary members or elements, such, for instance, as leather and rubber composition. The rubber member is used to add good wear-resisting and friction properties to the lift, as well as to provide resiliency or yield where the lift first contacts the pavement; The rubber element occupies a relatively small portion of the lift as a whole, and the lift, conserves practically the appearance of an all-leather lift, which is a very desirable feature. necessary for the reasons given hereinafter to provide a .rigid back or base member, the base member preferably having its face which engages the heel covering, as smooth as possible.

The objects of my invention, therefore, are generally to improve on known top lifts for covered heels.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a top lift having a rigid base member, rigid in the sense that the lift will not substantially bend toward the heel under stress of the load imposed upon the tread member of the lift.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a lift, the tread member of which has a wear-resisting and anti-slipping member positioned preferably where the lift is subject to most wear, and of such a relative area only as is necessary for such purposes, while the balance of the pave- In such a lift, it becomes merit-engaging surface or area may be of leather or other material similating leather, the lift being entirely practical and satisfactory in that it will hold its shape, will not cause the covering to wrinkle, will not cause the corner of the heel block to become damaged or break off, will prevent the breasting from wrinkling, will not easily shift on the heel and its tread member will not appreciably expand beyond the edges of the heel block while the lift as a whole will conserve practically the appearance of an all-leather lift.

The present lift may have other advantages which have not been set out but which may be appreciated upon carefully reading this specification.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures,

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a typical covered heel of a womans shoe, with my lift in position;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the lift,the lift having here an inwardly curved edge;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of Figure 3, but with an added member or element on the upper face thereof.

Referring now by numerals to the drawing, H indicates a heel block of wood, covered on four walls with a layer or covering of some fabric C, and with an additional cover B, called breasting, on the fourth or forward face. The covering is turned inwardly as at C to extend at least partly under the lower face of the heel block. The lift, L, is applied to the heel block, and secured thereto as with nails or slugging wires N, resting upon the turned in portions C of the covering.

The lift, L, comprises a base member or back It), and a tread member of two complementary members or elements II and I2, the total pavement-engaging face l3 of which is substantially equal to that of the base member IE3. Preferably, both base and tread members are flat, that is, their opposite faces are parallel with one another. The member !2 of the tread is intended'to provide a good wear-resisting surface, anti-slipping surface, as well as a resilient portion which absorbs the impact or load initially imposed upon the tread, and provides a certain comfort in walking. Rubber composition is an ideal material for these purposes. By using rubber composition where the most wear occurs, the fraying of edges at this point is eliminated. The area of this member is relatively small, occupying in practice roughly one quarter of the entire area of the pavementengaging surface of the tread; it is positioned at the rear, and to one side of the longitudinal axis, of the tread. The other portion or member H of the tread, is preferably of leather. Both members I l and I2 of the tread, transmit the load imposed upon the tread, to the base member If), and thence to the heel block or more particularly the turned in portion C.

Preferably, as shown, both members H and I2 directly bear upon or engage the base member ID,

to which they are preferably cemented. Preferably, also, both members are cemented together on their co-engaging edges, which edges may be beveled or inclined with respect to the vertical, as best shown at M. The three component parts of the lift, I0, I I and [2, may be pressed together in moulds, so that after their bond of cement has set or dried, the parts form a rigid unit lift, L, adapted to be secured to the heel block. As the base member ID bears on the turned in portions C of the covering, and therefore transmits the load imposed upon the tread memberto the heel block through these turned-in portions, it is most important that the base member should be rigid, its rigidity being such that when forming part of the lift, the lift as a whole will not substantially bend upwardly in the centre where it does not engage the heel covering or the heel proper. Preferably, the base member should of itself have such rigidity that it will not substantially bend up wardly in the centre nor bend at its corners just as though the capacity of the lift to substantially resist bending depended upon the rigidity of the base member only; its rigidity should also preferably be such that it will not substantially bend toward the heel upon application of the lift to the heel. The importance of providing a rigid back for the members of the tread member will be manifest. For instance, a rigid base member will not appreciably give or bend upwardly at the corners such as at [6, which corners are formed in a lift which is adapted to be applied to a heel the forward face of which is curved as at H. Thus, if the base member does not so give or bend, the corners of the heel block will not become damaged or break off, and the heel breasting B will not wrinkle, nor will the covering wrinkle in the vicinity of the corners of the heel. Moreover, as the rubber member l2 constitutes only a small area of the pavement-engaging face of the tread member, it has a tendency to detach itself from the lift as a whole especially in lifts for small heels. In other words, there is a severe strain imposed upon the rubber member or insert l2 which tends to cause it to turn and detach itself from the lift.

The ability of the insert to resist detaching itself depends upon its bond to the base member and to the leather member, and to some extent,

to such nails as may be driven through it, but the bond will become easily and soon weakened or destroyed if the load on the insert, when transmitted to the base member, causes the latter to bend toward the heel. If, on the other hand, the

base member is rigid enough to substantially resist bending, and does not stretch, then the bond will not become weakened or destroyed.

As is well known, top lifts have to be renewed frequently, especially on womens covered heeled shoes, when the heels are relatively small, and

have to be supplied to shoe repair shops in large quantities. The lifts are however supplied in a limited assortment of sizes, so that after a lift of a certain size has been applied to the heel, it has to be trimmed to the contour of the heel and then finished. The lift must, therefore. be of a material or materials which will readily trim and finish neatly. Thus, I make the base member of fibrous material, compressed to such a density as to have the required rigidity. For instance, eight plies of 75 pound paper, '7 thousandths of an inch thick, are milled into a vulcanized fiber board of about 35 thousandths of an inch thick, calendered 10% and having a density The member l0 may vary in thickness according to the size of the lift, the thickness of the tread member and the kind of leather and rubber composition used, but in practice, I find-that a I 2,167,965 the lift as a whole does not easily work loose on the heel block, since the member is not easily sheered by the shanks of the nails and the fiber member serves to limit the penetration of the nails N.

If preferred, a thin member of Celluloid l8 may be applied to the upper face of the lift, more particularly to the upper face of the fiber member II]. This member will providea smooth face, and

will also facilitate the trimming of the fiber member by shoe repair men.

I claim:

1. In combination with a covered heel the covering of which at least in part extends under the bottom face of the heel, a composite tread member comprising a member of leather and a member of rubber composition of a total area substantially equal to that of the bottom face of said heel, a rigid member of fibrous material engaging said covering and lying between the same and said tread member, and engaged by both of said leather and rubber composition members, and means securing said tread member and said rigid member to said heel, said rigid member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will not substantially bend toward said heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member upon securing the same.

2. In combination with a covered heel the covering of which at least in part extends under the bottom face of the heel, a tread member whose pavement-engaging face includes a member of rubber composition, means including a rigid member of fibrous material engaging said covering and lying between the same and said tread member, and means securing said tread member and said first means to said heel, said rigid member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will not substantially bend toward said heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member upon securing the same. a

3. In combination with a covered heel the covering of which at least in part extends under the bottom face of said heel, a tread member whose pavement-engaging face includes two members, a rigid member of fibrous material between said covering and said tread member receiving the load imposed upon said tread member and transmitting the load toward said covering, and means securing said tread member and said rigid member to said heel, said rigid member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will not substantially bend toward said heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member upon securing the same.

4. In combination with a covered heel the covering of which at least in part extends under the bottom face of said heel, a tread member whose pavement-engaging face includes two members, means including a rigid member of fibrous material engaging said covering and lying between the same and said tread member, and means securing said first means and said tread member to said heel, said rigid member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will not substantially bend toward said heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member upon securing the same.

5. A top lift for covered heels, comprising a tread member including two complementary members, one of leather and the other of rubber composition, adhered together on their coengaging edges, and a rigid member of fibrous material adhered on one face to said complementary members and forming therewith a unit lift adapted to be attached to the heel, said fibrous member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will substantially resist bending under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member upon attaching the same.

6. A top lift for covered heels, comprising a tread member including two complementary members, adhered together on their co-engaging edges, and a rigid member of fibrous material adhered on one face to said complementary members and forming therewith a unit lift adapted to be attached to the heel, said fibrous member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will substantially resist bending under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member upon attaching the same.

7. In combination with a covered heel the-cove ering of which at least in part extends under the bottom face of said heel, a tread member whose pavement-engaging face includes two members, means including a rigid member of fibrous material engaging said covering and lying between the same and said tread member, and means securing said first means and said tread member to said heel, said rigid member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will not bend toward the heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member when said lift is in use.

8. A top lift for covered tread member including two complementary members, one of leather and the other of rubber composition, adhered together on their coengaging edges, and a rigid member of fibrous material adhered on one face to said complementary mem bers and forming therewith a unit'lift adapted to be attached to the heel, said fibrous member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will resist bending toward the heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member when said lift is attached to the heel and in use.

9. A top lift for covered heels, comprising a tread member including a member of rubber composition, and a rigid member of fibrous material adhered on one face to said tread member and forming therewith a unit lift adapted to be attached to the heel, said fibrous member being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will resist bending toward the heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member when said lift is attached to the heel and in use.

10. A top lift for covered heels, comprising a tread member including a member of rubber composition, and a rigid member adhered on one face to said tread member to form therewith a unit lift adapted to be fastened to the heel, said rigid member being composed of a plurality of compressed plies of fibrous material adhered together, said material being compressed to such a density as to have such rigidity that it will resist bending toward the heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member when said lift is attached to the heel and in use.

11. A top lift for covered heels comprising a tread member including a member of rubber composition, and a rigid, non-metallic base member adhered to said tread member and being of material which can be easily and neatly trimmed after application of the lift to the heel, said base member being of an area substantially equal to heels, comprising a that of said tread member so that the edge of said base member will be flush with the edge of said tread member after trimming, said base member being of such rigidity that it will not substantially bend toward the heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member when the lift is applied to the heel and in use.

12. A top lift for covered heels comprising a tread member having two complementary parts of rubber composition and of leather, respectively, said part of rubber composition occupying a relatively small area of the entire area of said tread member and being positioned rearwardly and to one side thereof, and a rigid, non-metallic base member adhered to said tread member and being of material which can be easily and neatly trimmed after application of the lift to the heel, said base member being of an area substantially equal to that of said tread member so that the edge of said base member will be flush with the edge of said tread member after trimming, said base member being of such rigidity that it will not substantially bend toward the heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member when the lift is applied to the heel and in use.

13. In combination with a covered heel the covering of which at least in part extends under the bottom face of the heel, a tread member whose pavement-engaging face includes a member of rubber composition, means including a rigid member of non-metallic material which will trim easily and finish neatly engaging said covering and lying between the same and said tread member, and means securing said tread member and said first means to .said heel, said rigid member being of such rigidity that it will not substantially bend towards said heel under stress of the load imposed upon said tread member when in use.

WILLIAM WOOD, JR. 

